ASTROS HOT STOVE
How the Astros most challenging offseason obstacle is a matter of philosophy
Dec 13, 2022, 3:58 pm
Free agents may not get the playing time they want if they sign with Houston. Composite image by Jack Brame.
With Dusty Baker's Astros return looking imminent, this should be his first order of business
As the free agency period continues in Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros have seen targets, such as Willson Contreras and now former team catcher Christian Vázquez sign with different teams leaving the reigning champions with voids to fill.
During the team’s introductory press conference for first baseman José Abreu, owner Jim Crane said outfield and catcher were two areas Houston was looking to improve in. Since then, not only have the Astros lost out on key targets, but they have actually seen the catcher position thin out, not only with the loss of Vázquez, but the retirement of Jason Castro as well.
According to reports around the league, there are various players that could be on the trading block, which is another way for the Houston Astros to improve. In particular, a name that has been linked with Houston is Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Daulton Varsho.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks have engaged in trade talks about Varsho, but the asking price remains steep.
The dormant trade market is finally waking up.
The Houston #Astros and Arizona #Dbacks have engaged in trade talks about Dbacks outfielder Daulton Varsho. The asking price remains steep.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 12, 2022
The question for the Astros is how steep is too steep? It is clear that Crane’s mindset is to compete for another World Series Championship in 2023.
Would Houston be willing to part with one of its young key players, such as pitchers Hunter Brown or Cristian Javier, or even the unthinkable, Jeremy Peña? Probably not. Would Houston be able to sell to Arizona a package not centered around at least one of those key pieces? Who knows.
How aggressive Houston is all depends on how big the ownership and those making the decisions in the front office believe the void is in the outfield and at catcher.
Varsho’s numbers in 2022 were .235/.302/.443 with 27 home runs. As the two sides continue to negotiate, one thing has become clear, Houston is not as confident that it has a Peña-level player waiting in its farm system to plug in and play at those positions in 2023.
When Carlos Correa left for Minnesota last season, the Astros went to Peña without much of a second thought in regard to the shortstop position. That has not been the case with Houston this offseason, at least when factoring the reports.
Houston has Yainer Diaz and Korey Lee as other catchers on the payroll for 2023. The Astros also have Jake Meyers, Chas McCormick and Kyle Tucker as designated outfield players. Houston fans know that Dusty Baker will also move Yordan Alvarez into left field as well.
While Meyers and McCormick have been around the Astros and made plays for the team, especially McCormick’s epic World Series Game Five catch, they are far from irreplaceable.
The same can be said for catcher. Diaz’ numbers in the minors in 2022 were .306/.356/.542 while in six games in the majors they fell to .125/.222/.250. For Lee it was .238/.307/.483 in the minors and .160/.192/.240 in 12 games for the Astros in the majors during the 2022 season.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle, specifically at catcher, for free agents is Baker’s management philosophy. The skipper values the defense and leadership of Martin Maldonaldo, and any catcher that signed with Houston would have to split reps with the veteran catcher.
Former San Diego Padres catcher Jorge Alfaro remains a free agent that Houston could pursue while the group in the outfield position has thinned.
According to USA Today, the Toronto Blue Jays are willing to move one of their three catchers in Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk and Gabriel Moreno. Toronto could be another option for Houston to trade with.
Once again, how aggressive the Astros are, will depend on how big of a void Crane and the front office believe there is on the roster.
The expanded College Football Playoff has a decidedly old-school feel: Smothering defenses have carried the last four teams still in the hunt for the national championship.
If you want offense, look elsewhere this weekend. The defenses, with All-Americans spread throughout the lineups, are the story of the semifinals. Ohio State, Texas, Penn State and Notre Dame all rank among the top eight defenses nationally this season.
The No. 8 seed Buckeyes (12-2) meet the No. 5 Longhorns (13-2) in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night. The Buckeyes are No. 1 in total defense and scoring defense. Texas is ranked third and fourth, respectively.
The Orange Bowl matchup Thursday night between No. 7 Notre Dame (13-1) and No. 6 Penn State (13-2) feature run-stuffing defenses that shut down Georgia and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, the nation's top running back, in the quarterfinals.
Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard, who was 0-3 against Texas when he was at Kansas State before transferring, summed up the Longhorns defense this way: “They got some dudes, man,” Howard said.
Dudes indeed. Everywhere.
Longhorns senior cornerback Jahae Barron won the Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back. Edge rusher Colin Simmons has a team-high nine sacks and won the Shaun Alexander Award as the nation's top freshman.
Barron leads a deep, experienced and physical secondary that has punished receivers and anchored a defense that has produced turnovers in 23 consecutive games, the longest streak in the country.
In the quarterfinal win over Arizona State, safety Michael Taaffe's late-game hit on a receiver on the final drive of regulation was reviewed for targeting before it was determined to be legal, and Andrew Mukuba sealed the victory with an interception near the goal line in the double overtime thriller that ended 39-31, the most points Texas has allowed this season.
“I think our defense has been tremendous all year,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “As far as football goes, hey, we don’t play flag football, man. This isn’t seven-on-seven. This is tackle football. We believe in playing a physical brand of football. We try to do it the right way within the rules.”
Next up for the Texas secondary is trying to corral dazzling Buckeyes freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith.
“You know, that kid can ball. He’s a big baller. Strong, strong ability. He’s a deep threat," Barron said. "He’s a physical player, and I’ll have to be physical.
Ohio State can bully opponents too, with bookend pass rushers J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer and All-American safety Caleb Downs on the back end. The Buckeyes have allowed just 12.1 points per game, just one 300-yard passer and two 100-yard rushers all season.
When top seed Oregon beat Ohio State at midseason, Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel had a clean pocket all afternoon. In the Rose Bowl rematch, the No. 8-seeded Buckeyes sacked him eight times, with two each from Tuimoloau and Sawyer.
“When we’re executing and we’re at a high level, it’s hard to do anything with us,” Buckeyes defensive tackle Tyleik Williams said. “The most violent team, the team that plays the fastest, executes the most, and exceeds their game plan the most is going to win this game.”
Notre Dame and Penn State will feature their own style of violence in South Florida. Bowl. Both units rank in the top 10 in total defense and scoring defense.
After cruising past Indiana in the first round, the No. 7 seed Irish held No. 2 Georgia to 62 yards rushing and 10 points. Notre Dame forced two turnovers, and stopped the Bulldogs on all three fourth-down attempts, most notably inside the Irish 10 with just under 10 minutes left.
And they did it despite being without standout defensive tackle Rylie Mills, who was knocked out of the playoffs with a knee injury in a quarterfinals win over Indiana.
Still anchoring the Irish defense is safety Xavier Watts, a two-time AP All-American, who has six interceptions this season.
Penn State ranked fifth nationally against the run this season, allowing just 101 yards per game. In their quarterfinal win over Boise State, the Nittany Lions held Jeanty to a season-low 104 yards and forced an early fumble.
Penn State took a hit in that game when All-American defensive end Abdul Carter, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, left early with an unspecified upper body injury and did not return.
Carter leads Penn State with 11 sacks and is second among all FBS players with 21 1/2 tackles for loss this season. Nittany Lions coach James Franklin seemed optimistic that Carter could return this week, even if he stopped short of saying he would.
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that is stopping him from playing,” Franklin said Saturday.